Metrobolist aka The Man Who Sold The World 2020 Mix

Great! Very pleased. Thanks.

I really enjoyed what Visconti did with the recent 2019 remix/remaster of the 1969 David Bowie album so it definitely interested me to hear about him doing the same to The Man Who Sold The World, which I view as one of the weaker albums that Bowie put out. I always felt the production was rather rough on the original album and that if any of Bowie's albums needed a remaster it was this one. And I must say that for the most part, Visconti delivers yet again with a high-quality remix/remaster.He provided some long-overdue polish to the album and while it is still far from my favourite Bowie album, I view Metrobolist in a far better light than I ever did The Man Who Sold The World.

Of course, I had the Mercury cutout LP back in July & August 1975. Each copy I bought featured the seamless line: "For I'm quite content they're all as me" at the close of the first verse of "All the Madmen '. That's right, each copy I bought at that time SKIPPED precisely at that moment. I questioned had I known about and got this heavily Black Sabbath influenced album during the last week of January 1971 if that vocal line would've stayed intact. Easy to see how this artist became immensely popular several years later.

Tony Visconti dares to get more heavy-handed in his interpretations, and gives us a fresh, fine alternative listen to my favorite Bowie album. A brief comparison of tracks from Metrobolist cd with the Rykodisc gold cd focusing on the most noticeable differences:Width of a Circle: More robust, but seems to suffer a bit from too much echo or delay when the "He swallowed his pride and puckered his lips..." part kicks in, causing the drums to sound out of sync with the guitars.All the Madmen: Fuller, clearer, most noticeably in the 12-string intro which is in both channels rather than panning from left to right. "Zane zane zane..." outro does NOT pan, and voices are too loud in the mix. Thankfully, this part fades 15 seconds sooner than the original.Black Country Rock: Ronson's chukka-chukka rhythm guitar is fleshed out in the left channel. Nice! Bowie's Bolan homage reveals hitherto unheard vocals. A real treat.After All: 2015 mix used.Running Gun Blues: Snare drum strikes become cannon blasts. Synthesizer artillery strafing is more prominent.Saviour Machine: "Piccolo" synthesizer sounds more prominent, Ronno's guitars less so in the last minute.She Shook...: Little change.Man Who Sold... Cleaner, could have done without the answering echo vocals in the refrain; seems a bit cheesy.The Supermen: Echo on the drum intro, ooh-aah voices louder, over-all bassier (in a good way)If you're not a purist, this is a welcome release. More daring than his Lodger and Space Oddity remixes. Who better to give us a fresh take than one who was there at the outset?

This has always been one of my Bowie favs. My first introduction to this album was the original RCA album then called The Man Who Sold The World. RCA albums always sounded great back in the day. But this remix is great and really offers something new.

I hadn't listened to TMWSTW front to back for years and it's great to hear it again. I really like the depth of the mix, especially hearing the nuances that I hadn't heard on other versions. I have the vinyl version and am really impressed the the pressing. The vinyl itself is flat and the sound is flawless.

This is the original title Bowie had for 'The Man Who Sold The World' - there are a couple of minor but unique differences. On 'Black Country Rock', it sounds like Bolan is a backup singer. Was he or was it Bowie channeling him?

Tony Visconti's remix of this LP breathes new and invigorating life into this already amazing record. Backing vocals burst forth like never before, subtle little nuances are revealed and a host of other previously unnoticed licks and effects are peeled back. Worth every penny!!